Denmark provides new support to culture and development in Nepal, among others to street art, innovative robots and new TV programmes.

Denmark provides new support to culture and development in Nepal, among others to street art, innovative robots and new TV programmes.

Some of Nepal’s most progressive and innovative cultural and artistic organizations who believe that arts and culture can contribute to preventing brain drain are supported by the Danish Centre for Culture and Development (CKU).

In cooperation with the Danish Embassy in Kathmandu CKU has since 2007 worked strategically to stimulate creativity and entrepreneurship among Nepalese youth, in order to foster an environment for innovative products and services with an income-generating potential.

In 2013 Denmark’s new strategic framework for culture and development ‘The Right to Art and Culture’ was approved, and this year, a new culture and development programme has been launched with six different Nepalese partners.

”There is a need to capacitate and stimulate creativity and entrepreneurship among Nepalese youth, in order to foster a coming generation of citizens with good ideas who are able to transform these ideas into innovative products and services with an income-generating potential,” says the Danish Ambassador to Nepal, Kirsten Geelan.

Denmark support art and culture in Nepal

The media organization South Asia Communications creates new TV-programmes that broadcast returned immigrants. By building simple robots and working creatively with science, Karkhana, a collective of young programmers, engineers and artists contributes to a future generation of innovative entrepreneurs. Siddhartha Arts Foundation is establishing a new education that will foster curators, art critics, art managers and more jobs in the cultural sector. And the art collective Art Lab inspires young people to find local heroes, who show the opportunities in Nepal.

According to a press release issued by Embassy of Denmark, CKU also supports Photo.circle, a platform for photography nurturing unique voices that document and engage with social change in Nepal and Nepal’s first spoken-word group Word Warriors, who mobilizes women to lead regional youth collectives across Nepal through intensive workshops, trainings, and regional events.

Event celebrates artistic contribution to development

On Monday November 10 six organizations from the new Cultural and Development Programme participated in the event, to celebrate and showcase their talent to the importance of art and culture in Nepal.

The six partner's media performance and the Danish ambassador, Ms. Kirsten Geelan and the CEO of CKU, Ms. Elsebeth Krogh attended the event.

Who is The Danish Centre for Culture and Development (CKU?)

CKU is a self-governing institution under the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In close cooperation with Danish embassies and representations, CKU manages culture and development programmes in The Middle East, Asia, West Africa, and East Africa.